Harris camp promotes debunked allegation Trump praised Charlottesville neo-Nazis as ‘very fine people’

WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign attempted to reignite a long-standing and debunked controversy regarding former President Donald Trump’s comments about the 2017 Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally.

On the anniversary of the tragic events in Charlottesville, the Harris campaign posted a message on X (formerly known as Twitter), reiterating the claim that Trump referred to white supremacists and neo-Nazis as "very fine people."

"Seven years ago today, white supremacists and neo-Nazis marched on Charlottesville, chanting racist and antisemitic bile and killing an innocent woman. This is who Donald Trump calls ‘very fine people,’" the Kamala HQ account posted, along with a video clip that rehashed the widely criticized narrative.

However, the claim that Trump explicitly labeled neo-Nazis as "very fine people" has been thoroughly debunked over the years.

Origin of controversy and debunking claims

The controversy dates back to August 15, 2017, when President Donald Trump held a press conference to discuss an executive order on infrastructure. During the press conference, reporters quickly shifted the focus to Trump’s initial response to the violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The protests, which included a rally by white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and counter-protesters, led to the tragic death of Heather Heyer, a counter-protester who was killed when a car drove into a crowd. In his response, Trump stated, "You also had people that were very fine people, on both sides."

This remark became the centerpiece of criticism, with many interpreting it as an endorsement of the white supremacists involved in the rally. However, Trump’s camp has always maintained that his comment was taken out of context, pointing out that he was referring to people who were there to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, not the extremists.

Trump and his supporters have repeatedly clarified that his "very fine people" remark was about individuals who were peacefully protesting the removal of the statue, not the neo-Nazis and white supremacists who also attended the rally.

The following day, Trump elaborated on his statement, saying, "If you look at what I said, you will see that that question was answered perfectly. And I was talking about people that went because they felt very strongly about the monument to Robert E. Lee, a great general. Whether you like it or not, he was one of the great generals."

Even left-leaning fact-checking websites, such as Snopes, have acknowledged that Trump did not call neo-Nazis "very fine people" during his press conference.

Snopes noted, "In a news conference after the rally protesting the planned removal of a Confederate statue, Trump did say there were 'very fine people on both sides,' referring to the protesters and the counter-protesters. He said in the same statement he wasn't talking about neo-Nazis and white nationalists, who he said should be 'condemned totally.'"

Backlash against Harris’ campaign

The Harris campaign’s decision to resurrect this debunked claim has sparked quite a backlash on social media. Critics from across the aisle took to X, accusing the campaign of perpetuating a falsehood.

"The 'very fine people' hoax has been repeatedly debunked, yet you still promote it. Tim Walz let his cities burn while Kamala Harris raised money to bail out violent BLM protestors," one posted on X.

"This is a hoax. You fell for a widely debunked hoax. Is that what fighting for the future looks like?" another wrote.

"You do realize this has been cleared up 100x and nobody is buying this BS anymore right?" a third user chimed in.

"That is a lie that has been debunked over and over again. Campaigning on Lies because you have no platform? Goebbels would be proud of you," someone else quipped.

"Stop lying. If you take his quotes out of context, there’s this thing called the internet where people can find the original quote themselves and learn you are lying to them. Because you think voters are dumb. We aren’t," read a comment. 

"Um antisemitism has soared under Biden-Kamala to unseen levels in my lifetime," another alleged.

This comes at a time when Harris has faced separate allegations of antisemitism, particularly after she chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, instead of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, as her running mate.

Critics speculated that this decision was influenced by Shapiro’s religion and his views on Israel, a claim that the Harris campaign strongly denied. An aide to Harris told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, “Assertions that Vice President Harris did not select Gov. Shapiro based on his religion or views on Israel are absolutely ridiculous and offensive.”

The aide further emphasized Harris’ "unwavering commitment to Israel’s security," citing a recent briefing she and President Biden attended concerning Iranian plans to attack Israel. “She will always combat antisemitism whenever and wherever she sees it," they added.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.